Tie down tensioning buckle with safety lock



May 24, 1966 F. I.. DAVIS 3,252,188

TIE DOWN TENSIONING BUCKLE WITH SAFETY LOCK Filed Jan. 8, 1965 INVENTOR. FRA/VK L. DAV/S AT'OR/VEY United States Patent O 3,252,188 TIE DOWN TENSIONING BUCKLE WITH SAFETY LOCK Frank L. Davis, Northport, Long Island, N.Y. (F t. Salonga Road, Ft. Salonga, Long Island, N.Y.)

Filed Jan. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 424,402

3 Claims. (Cl. 24--68) The invention herein disclosed relates to cargo tensioning tie dovm buckles of the type covered in the Davis Patents No. 2,429,926 of November 28, 1947, and No. 2,997,761, of August 29, 1961, and the general objects of the invention are to provide a buckle for tie down equipment which will be self-locking in the tensioning and closing movement of the same and in which the locking mechanism, while readily releasable when so intended, will be protected and secured against accidental release and will be covered and concealed so as to be free of outside interference.

Other special objects of the invention are to provide a bucklehaving such advantages which will be light in weight, strong and durable and which will be compact and small in size for its strength.

Other special objects and novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts through which the purposes of the invention are attained, are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specication.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specication illustrates a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration; all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 in the drawing is a side elevation of one of the buckles in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a broken side view showing the tensioning lever unlocked and ready to be lifted to release tension and uncouple the buckle.

FIG. 4 is a broken side elevation showing the tensioning lever lifted to relieve pull on the web.

The frame of the buckle is shown made up of parallel side bars or plates 7, 8, secured in spaced parallel relation by cross pins 9, near one end of the frame, about which one end section 11 of the webbing is looped as shown in FIG. 4, to be free for adjustment when relieved of tension and to hold when under tension.

This frame has hooks 12 at the opposite end for rocking engagement by the cams 13 on the inner faces of the bars 14, 15, forming the side members of the tensioning lever.

This lever carries a cross pin 16 set inward from the pivoting end of the same about which the other end section 17 of the webbing is looped at 18.

At the other end, the side bars of the lever member are rigidly connected by spaced cross pins 19, 20.

Riding on these cross pins is a sliding handle or cover 21, shown as4 having downwardly flanged ends 22, slotted at 23, 24 to ride over the cross pins 19, 20.

The downturned flanges 22 of the sliding handle are shown as having forwardly projecting hooks 25, to engage under a cross pin 26 located at the end of the frame.

These projecting ,hooks are shown as having bevelled underedges 27 to ride over the cross pin 26 in the lowering or closing movement of the lever.

Patented May 24, 1966 ICC The spring 28 connected between cross pin 19 and the sliding handle serves to draw this handle inwardly into cooperative relation with the cross pin on the frame and the outer end of the slide is shown as having a downwardly turned grip 29 for engagement of fingers to pull the slide outwardly against tension of the spring, in the releasing direction.

FIG. 2 shows how the hooks 25 on the inner ends of the slide are indented inwardly to clear the ends of the frame bars 7, 8 and to reach inwardly into engagement beneath the cross pin 26.

The construction is light but rigid and strong. The tensioning lever is automatically locked in holding position in the act of hooking it onto the frame and locking it down over the top of the frame.

In the closing position the slide substantially covers the lock between the tensioning lever and frame and is fully accessible `to release and unlock these members.

The web 11 is looped about the cross bars in the end of the frame so as to hold when tension is applied thereto and so as -to release for ready adjustment when tension is relieved.

The hand lever with connection of the web 17 at a pointvinward from the pivoting end, operates as a toggle to tension and hold the web in tensioned condition and in such relation the lever is automatically secured against accidental release.

What is claimed is:

1. A buckle for cargo tiedown and other purposes, comprising a frame having adjustable web takeup holding means at one end, a cross pin at said end ofthe frame, a web tensioning lever having a web holding cross pin near one end of the same, said lever having means at said end in separable pivotable engagement with the frame and a handle forming cover slideably mounted on the opposite end of said lever cooperatively engageable with said cross pin on the frame for releasably securing said tensioning lever in web tensioning position on the frame, with spring means connected with said cover for sliding said cover into cooperative engagement with said cross pin and said slidable cover having an inturned handle projection at the outer end of the same accessible at the end of the lever.

2. A buckle for cargo tiedown and other purposes, comprising a frame having adjustable web takeup holding means at one end, a cross pin at said end of the frame, a web tensioning lever having a web holding cross pin near one end of the same, said lever having means at said end in separable pivotable engagement with the frame and a handle forming cover slideably mounted on the opposite end of said lever cooperatively engageable with said cross pin on the frame for releasably securing said tensioning lever in web tensioning position on the frame, with parallel cross pins on said handle lever,

said cover having side ilanges with slots therein slideable over said parallel cross pins and a spring connected between one of said cross pins and said cover urging said cover toward said cross pin on the frame. 3. A buckle for cargo tiedown and other purposes, comprising a frame having adjustable web takeup holding means at one end, a cross pin at said end of the frame, a web tensioning lever having a web holding cross pin near one end of the same, said lever having means at said end in separable pivotable engagement with the frame and a handle forming cover slideably mounted on the opposite References Cited by the Examiner end of said lever cooperatively engageable with said cross UNITED STATES PATENTS pin on the frame for releasably secnrlng said tensioning lever in web tensioning position on the frame, With said 2271133 1/1942 Thore'sen 24-191 X slideable cover having dependent side flanges continued at 5 2132015 46 6/1943 Shakespeare 24"-69 the inner end of the same into the form of hooks engagelg? gaz/1s 24-78 X able w'th sa'd ros and hav'n b elled ed es sl`d able 1 a om 1 1 c s pm 1 g ev g l e 2,997,761 s/1961 Davis 24-68 over the cross pin in the closing movement of the lever on the frame and l spring means yieldingly urging said cover toward the 1() WILLIAM FELDMAN Pnmmy Examiner' cross pin. MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A BUCKLE FOR CARGO TIEDOWN AND OTHER PURPOSES, COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING ADJUSTABLE WEB TAKEUP HOLDING MEANS AT ONE END, A CROSS PIN AT SAID END OF THE FRAME, A WEB TENSIONING LEVER HAVING A WEB HOLDING CROSS PIN NEAR ONE END OF THE SAME, SAID LEVER HAVING MEANS AT SAID END IN SEPARABLE PIVOTABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FRAME AND A HANDLE FORMING COVER SLIDEABLY MOUNTED ON THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID LEVER COOPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLY WITH SAID CROSS PIN ON THE FRAME FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID TENSIONING LEVER IN WEB TENSIONING POSITION ON THE FRAME, WITH SPRING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID COVER FOR SLIDING SAID COVER INTO COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CROSS PIN AND SAID SLIDABLE COVER HAVING AN INTURNED HANDLE PROJECTION AT THE OUTER END OF THE SAME ACCESSIBLE AT THE END OF THE LEVER. 